Tuesday, April 24, 2012

U might be disappointed today

U is for UptightMy husband says I can be this way a lot. Most would agree so this post is going to spit in the face of the letter U and we (yes, I am involving all of you) are going to talk about something different and fun.Plus, I have been in an awful depression slump the past few days and I want to change my mood.

Ok, I love makeup. I love lipgloss and blush and eyeshadow the most but I could (and have) spend hours looking at different products. Due to the fact that I live in a small town with limited makeup resources, save for a Walgreens and a Walmart (I know), when I get an opportunity to get to Sephora, Ulta or a department store, I lose my mind.It can be overwhelming.Every product says they are the best and believe you me, I have tried quite a few of them.I am going to talk about a few of my favorite things and then I want to ask YOU what your favorites are. Don't be shy, seriously, this fascinates me.I am even thinking about doing this every week or so, finding a few new products and letting you know what I think about them, and possibly involving my sister Mel and my other 2 (non-blogger) sisters.

First though, let me tell you about my recent dilemma.I have tried all kinds of skin care regimes. Washes, scrubs, lotions, serums, eye cream etc...I find one I like but then my skin decides to hate it and I move on. Another problem is do I use the same brand for everything??? I feel like I should. My mother was a product fiend so I come by it honestly. She always gave me samples and her hand me downs which were almost always some high end brand that I couldn't afford.I also love the samples you get from the stores. Ulta and Sephora have great trial sizes of things like beauty products and perfumes so I get the chance to play.

I am fine with these products but I want to find something that I really, really love. Something for dry, sensitive but sometimes oily and occasional break-out skin. Something for wrinkles and lines and glowing skin and softness and dark circles and bags under my eyes.

And I don't want to pay my mortgage payment to get it (if such a product even exists)

I am willing to shell out some money, I am but I don't want to buy 20 different things and become overwhelmed which is kind of what happened last time I did this and ended up in Neutrogena-ville.When I was gasping at the price of some of the moisturizers online last night, my husband said "isn't 50 dollars a small price to pay for your beauty?" (gotta love than man) but seriously, he doesn't even know how ugly (and costly) this could turn out.

I have tried Aveda (I adore Aveda makeup and hair products and my salon only uses it but the skin care has some sort of plant extract in it that makes me break out) I will do a makeup post soon where I talk about my favorite makeup products and go in to that more. I have also tried Clinique, Olay, Olay Regenerist, Bliss, Philosophy, Ole Henriksen, Korres, Burt's Bees, L'Oreal, Avon and Mary Kay and I forget the others. So here we are.I am tempted by a few brands. I love Origins lipglosses and blush. Would I feel the same about their other products?I am willing to give Clinique another shot. I am devoted to their mascara and lipstick. The All About Eyes is fabulous for puffiness.Ole was delightful. It was also in the higher end of the expensive spectrum. Almost too expensive to buy a bunch for a trial.Lancome was a favorite of my mother. I have heard good things about it as well.There are numerous others and I am tired so now it your turn to give me some ideas.I am planning a trip to the city on Friday to do my purchasing.

Have you tried the No 7 products from Target? You might have to go online to find it. There is a mask that I really like but for some reason the store doesn't carry it. Usually when I find something I like, I stay with it for a long time until I get bored.

Ii had to go look... No7 Protect & Perfect Protection Intense Beauty Serum is awesome. It leaves my skin feeling silky. The only problem is that I love it so much that I use too much of it and it isn't exactly cheap.

I really like Burt's Bees Natural Lip Balm (feel lost without it) and their Herbal Blemish Stick for outbreaks (ugh). I love Aveda hair products. And, like you, I have a difficult time finding moisturizers that do what I want them to do...not enough moisture...too much moisture...never a happy medium. However, Ponds Sensitive Skin Intensive Moisturizer has been working for a few months. As for cleansers, I really like St. Ive's Green Tea Scrub and Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub. Whew...I think I'll end with that :)

My skin is an annoying combination of oily and sensitive, and the ONLY thing that works for me is Clinique. I think it might because you can sort of mix and match with the cleansers and clarifying lotions. I don't think the dramatically different moisturizer though. I just use their Moisture Surge instead. My mom bought me my first Clinique cleanser when I was 11, I'm 30 now, and am still using it. I've other things a few times over the years, but my face always ends up looking like an extra for a horror movie when I do. I now stick with what works! It has probably been over 10 years since anything not Clinique has touched my face. :-)

I basically refuse to spend a lot of money on the stuff that gets instantly washed off (cleansers, makeup removers, toners) but I am also a huge fan of Neutrogena. I just discovered Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer which is amazing and speeds up my routine since I can skip a step. But my favorite insta-glowing-skin product is something I just found on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Salicylic-Acid-Peel-30ml-Professional/dp/B000PLUZL8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335915399&sr=8-1It's an acid peel which I do once a week and it really helps with brightening my complexion and warding away breakouts. And it will last me 6 months or so. I also just bought Dr. Lewinn Perfecting Skin Tone Serum ($28 at Walmart) which I'm hoping to review in about 8 weeks to see how well it works for acne scar and sun damage lightening.

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All About Me

True stories from a girl with a distorted sense of humor. The things that happen to me daily might not be funny at that moment. But given enough time to swirl around in my head, they can be quite comical. You'll see.
It's my life, take me or leave me.
I love makeup, Coach, fashion, food and Grey Goose.